I know you aren't a fan of people outside your district contacting you, but I want you to know that we appreciate the service that you provide to all of us.

Open non-partisan elections open our boards up to being filled by candidates who are representing those with big money including educational industries. We don't need any more celebrities winning a popularity contest, we need accessibility and accountability by elected representatives. Please VOTE YES ON SB 104 and NO ON HB 305, HJR16, HB297, HB342 & HB186!

I will try to keep this brief, I am a former public school teacher in Utah and have a LOVE for education and children. My husband is a Leg Chair for the Republican party, a state and county delegate, and was a state school board candidate that was one of the five finalists in our area, but didn't make it to the final cut with the Lt. Gov. I am also a state delegate and I am sharing this with you to let you know that we are active and involved.

I attended a meeting last year where the initial 9 state school board candidates in my area were vetted by a group of concerned and interested citizens. None of my top choices were the ones that ultimately made it on the ballot. Our district ended up with three candidates because Joel Wright was placed on after filing a last minute petition with Judge Waddoups. I was glad that he won, even though he wasn't in my top picks. I felt that getting him elected sent a message that it was time for a change. THE TIME IS NOW!

The change we need is elected school representatives who are actually reflective and accountable to the people, just like the legislators are. You each go through a vetting process which makes you a better elected official, you meet with the people in face to face meetings and participate in debates. You are accessible and accountable to us and my experience has been that most of the school board members are not.

I think if districts were smaller, then there might not be the same need for partisan elections at that level, but in Alpine School District, the area covered by my school board representative is larger than the area covered by my house representative. Our local school board elections are already partisan, they just are partisan in favor of the unions, associations, and organizations who do not necessarily reflect the will of the people.